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Electronically Translated Text

That deep and widely-spread dissatisfaction exists with regard to the way ia which Minis tries are now made and unmade, patched and mended, can be denied by no one, although the apparent futility of hoping to improve things leads people to keep their mouths shut. The

difficulties of the position are great, but not foo great to be dealt with. We have not the slightest expectation of an improved state of things until our constitutional system is altered. Mr. Eeynolds goes out, and Mr. BIyth goes in ; Mr. Dutton gives himself and Mr. Santo a billet at the same time. Bye and bye Mr. Blyth will go out, and then Mr. Glyde or Mr. Hart will go in. It is just possible that in the shuffling of the cards Mr. Everard might be thought of, or some other new member. There may be a call for ' fresh blood,' but it will not be conceded to more than the extent of a unit — of that we may be sure. There are too many in Parliament who have 'smelt the carrots' (as an honorable member once said in reference to gentlemen who had held office). There are too many who know what the sweets and emoluments of office are, to allow an entire set of new men, or even a majority of new men, to form a Government. Consequently the balance of power will still be in the hands of some eight or ten ' indispensables,' over whom Wo ideas exert perpetual and paramount sway, namely, how to get upon the Treasury benches if they are not there, and how to keep upon them if they are. The public business fares neither better nor worse for these shufflings ; it is six of one and half a dozen of the other, with small prospect of a change beyond one in name. We have an Imperial Act enabling us to amend oar Constitution Act in any way we like. Why not, then, so amend the Constitu tion Act as to facilitate the attainment of better Government P The necessity of having an Attorney-General in the Government always embarasses the formation of a Ministry ; and now, therefore, is the time to make the At torney-Generalship non-political. The Chief Secretary himself has declared in favor of this change, and we believe a majority in both Houses would support a measure — if not for the unconditional exclusion of the Attorney General from the Cabinet — at least for making his presence there optional. In the next place, why should there not be six Ministers instead of flVe, as thid would, to a great extent, obviate the difficulty which is always felt in connection with the Upper House whenever the formation of a Government is attempted? The number of members of the House of Assembly being ssactly twice that of the Council — 36 to 18 — the Assembly should, have four Ministers and the Council two. Bat with only five Ministers, the Assembly insist on having four, leaving avly one for the Council ; and the Council, 3eeing it impossible to have more than one Minister out of five, insist upon having the biggest of the lot — the Chief Secretary. All these considerations have to be taken account of in Ministerial arrangements, and the result is that the Governor's choice of men is greatly limited and embarrassed. But there is another evil, and one greater than all we have named. The number of office seekers is far too great in proportion to the number of really independent members. The independent members are lost between the Ins and the Outs. The independent members — the men who enter Parliament to attend to public business — are disgusted by the awful saorifice of time and neglect of the proper duties of repre sentatives, caused by the everlasting squabbles for place. Now, what is needed is a stronger independent party, and by 'an independent party' we mean not merely a party voting con scientiously — because, of course, everybody is ' independent ' in that sense — but a party who will guarantee a strong Government — not want ing office for themselves. Suppose there were as large a percentage of the members of the House of Commons anxious to seize the reins of power as there is in the South Australian House of Assembly — the Queen's Government could not be carried on at all. In England politicians fight hard for their party ; but here there is no party, the motto being — ' each for himself and the deil tak' the hindmost.' And so it ever will be until the number of those who are not office-seekers is very considerably augmented. Aud how can w» augment it ? In one way only, and that is by increasing the number of members. There should be 60 member* in the Assembly, and 30 in the Council ; with four Ministers in the one and two in the other House. That would give one Minister out of every 15 members ; at present there is one Minister in every 11 members. If it be said, where could we get 90 suitable men P we reply that we have no doubt the average intelligence and fitness of the 90 would be equal to what we find in the 54. Whether the number be 90, or 50, or 30, we shall always find very different degrees of qualifi Bation ; and sometimes we see superior men rejected for men of much lower qualification. Bat an enlarged House would secure a stronger independent party, and a stronger Government — a consummation devoutly to be wished, and one of which no fear need be entertained, so long as the Legislature included a sufficient number of men for whom the emoluments of office possessed no attractions. There are other respects in which the Constitution Act needs amendment ? but let this much suffice for the present. 'We perceive by the Police Q-azette, of Ootober 6, that warrants have been issued at Port Adelaide against Jobacn Moller and August Schweitzer, for deserting from the ship Iserbrook ; against William Wylie, for absoonding from the ship' Evelyn ; and against William Rawlings and William Murch, for absenting themselves without leave from the ship Orient. We have received copy of a pamphlet embodying bo much of the Northern Territory Correspondence as relates to the question of Dr. Goldsmith's resignation. We draw particular attention to this compilation, and hope that the friends of the dootor will procure it, and read what he has to say in defence of hie own conduct.